1. Field of the Invention
An embodiment of the invention relates to data and voice communication devices and communication network protocols, processes, and procedures. An embodiment of the invention introduces a novel resonant vortational modulation method that can be applied for the purpose of dramatically improved data throughput rates, data security, and data protocol diversity over existing electrical power grids and radio and television channel networks without use of dangerous high frequencies. Data throughput rates are increased in target telecommunications networks without the use of inefficient digital data compression. An embodiment of the invention can be applied to terrestrial telecommunications, common carrier channels, satellite telecommunications and satellite television channels.
2. Description of Related Art
The advance of telecommunications networks over the past two hundred years has been fundamentally guided by a set of constrained parameters that ignores the complex inter-relationships that define the way that Nature does business. Nature uses complex relationships among a large variety of simple processes to do effortlessly what Science requires the application of brute force and gross inefficiency to perform. Recent work in the design discipline of Biomimicry shows promise in reversing this trend to a small degree, but this new science is in its infancy. The conventional world of science and engineering has a long way to go to incorporate nature's synergistic principles. Contemporary telecommunications technology exhibits many examples of the limitations imposed by centuries of ignoring Nature's way of doing business. Embodiments of the invention provide a way of moving forward and beyond these limitations to a means of information transfer that is far more in alignment with Natural systems.
Claude Chappe invented the non-electric telegraph in 1794. This system used semaphore, a flag-based symbolic alphabet, to transmit symbols via line-of-sight communication. By definition, the network was limited to one data stream at a time over a single “conductor”, in this case the conductor being a visual path from one telegraph station to the next. With the primitive technology available in the 18th century, it was logical for one operator to receive a single stream of semaphored symbolic data from a transmitting telegraph station on a remote hillside and pass it on to the next hillside station.
A consensus model was established that carries through to this day: It is presumed that one conductor may carry one and only one electromagnetic communicative stream at a time. With very few exceptions, this is considered to be a basic principle framed by the fundamental principles of physics. Every element of contemporary telecommunications network theory and practice is derived from this consensus model.
The model posits that the physical propagation of communications data over any typical medium such as twisted wire pairs or a radio frequency link may be completely described by defining only two dimensions. For an electromagnetic communicative act, established models as defined by contemporary physics declare that amplitude and frequency are the two dimensions that completely define a waveform propagated over a given transmission medium. And given these restrictions, this communicative act is limited “by definition” to propagating a single waveform over a single physical element of transmission medium. This waveform might be exceedingly complex in both time and frequency domains, but it is only possible for one waveform to occupy the physical space of the medial physical element at any given moment.
The “one waveform/one carrier” paradigm described above establishes the serial data stream transmission as the predominant master protocol of record. Given this dominant position, three means have become established as the way to achieve higher data density and increased transmission rate. These are data multiplexing, data compression, and increasing the carrier frequency.
From the earliest days of telegraphy, researchers have found ways to increase data density by time-domain multiplexing several data streams together. In this process, standard-length packets of information from numerous discrete data streams are encoded for identification, then combined in such a way that the multiple data streams may be separated out once again at the receiving end. In today's telecommunication world, TDMA, CDMA, and OFDM describe various means for combining multiple streams for serial transmission via conventional physical media. Satcom and Ethernet networks routinely use these approaches to merge a large number of low-data-rate data streams and propagate them using a finite number of media conduits.
Mathematic modeling has provided a number of ways to compress data by modeling what portion of a data stream might be redundant, removed without significantly compromising data integrity, or simply serving as a place-keeper, and removing that portion before transmission. The result can be a significant increase in transmitted data density. In digital voice channels for example, vocoder technology can provide an 8:1 data compression factor. This technique is based upon a model of the human vocal tract, creating a small library of phonemes, or archetypical vocal sounds. A simple code value is assigned to each phoneme. An incoming speech sample is analyzed and broken down into its phoneme content. The codes are then transmitted instead of the actual speech data. At the receiving end, the phoneme codes are used to drive a synthesizer, reconstituting a facsimile of the original speech samples.
In recent history, the demands of cell phone and internet usage have placed rapidly increasing demands upon network capacity. A third response strategy is to move carrier frequencies up the spectrum to previously unexploited bands. Tightly modulated, compressed, and multiplexed digital data streams can take up very little bandwidth, often as little as 10 kHz bandwidth for a voice or data channel. Transitioning from megahertz to gigahertz frequency bands means that the number of possible data channels may be increased by a factor of at least 1000. One hundred 10 kHz channels might be possible at a carrier frequency in the 1 megahertz range; One hundred thousand channels of the same bandwidth are possible at 1 gigahertz.
In the 1980's, microwave publications routinely speculated as to whether there would ever be a large consumer market for exotic, high-frequency RF hardware. The pressures of massive consumer electronics data traffic have forced the issue. It is now commonplace for us to have cell phones operating at 800 MHz, wireless home and office networks at 2.4 GHZ, and wireless telephone service at 4.2 MHz. Many in the industry have shared concern over the widespread use of these high frequency carriers. It is a highly charged political issue, as commercial interests are balanced against public safety. Contemporary epidemiological studies seem to indicate that long term exposure to these carriers imposes long term health risks, especially to our young. We remain addicted to our cell phones and Internet links; reducing demand would not seem to be an alternative. Exploitation of the dominant “one waveform/one carrier” paradigm appears to be reaching its logical and practical limit.
An embodiment of the invention, referred to herein as a Resonant Vortational Division Multiplex (RVDM) method, offers a practical and healthy alternative to the dominant paradigm. It can be introduced into existing networks in a non disruptive manner, providing a practical means for continuing trends toward higher data density and rates, without the concomitant risks to human health posed by the dominant monotonic paradigm.